Plans by the European Union to ensure company boards number at least 40% of women was criticised as ‘patronising and wrong’ by the UK’s Women’s and Equalities Minister.
Instead, Maria Miller says that while more is needed to be done on both equal opportunities and pay, it should not be driven by ‘political correctness’.
Miller said: “We must maximise the contribution of women to our economy, but it makes no sense to stifle their achievement and aspiration.
“That should be down to economic reality and not political correctness. Barriers at work should be taken down for women.
“We can’t do this through special treatment or regulation, like the European Commission’s quota idea. This is patronising and undermines women succeeding in business.
Abandoned
“We need to support women in their careers all the way from the shop floor to the boardroom. Indeed, we are making real progress in creating equality in our workplaces and will continue to do more.”
However, the EU’s proposal didn’t just go down badly in the UK and it appears that several other countries also had issues with the quota proposal – which now looks certain to fall at the first hurdle.
The Women’s Minister also challenged the suggestion that the workplace equality debate should be focused on boardrooms when, instead, the focus should be helping women balance their family, financial and career aspirations, while working to improve the nation’s economy.
A £2 million boost for childcare to help more women in to work was also included in Miller’s speech.
Childcare options
From April 2013, anyone setting up a nursery or a child-minding business can apply for grants of up to £500 to help cover business start-up costs.
The money can also be used to pay for health and safety training, plus any equipment needed and for carrying out adaptations to premises.
On top of this, the government will offer tailored start-up advice and support, including mentoring, through the ‘Business In You’ scheme, that aims to kick start 6,000 new childcare businesses to encourage more mother’s back to work.
Miller said: “There are more women in work than ever before and they play a vital role in our economic recovery.
“But we need more good quality, affordable and reliable childcare to help more women who want to work, because having more childcare options means more women can return to work.”
Articles like this are always curious to me because I work in a male dominated workplace and have never felt like I needed help advancing in my career. I’d like to think that the people who are at the top are there because they deserved it, not because they were filing a quota.